Ferguson faces crisis of a faceless team

When a team is sure of itself and every player is confident of his role, a defeat like this can be dismissed as one of those things. Or, if a team has grown complacent, the "wake-up call" often gets a mention. The victorious Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren, loyal to his old club, even used the "blip" word; this was, after all, Manchester United's first away defeat this season. But, as Saturday night darkened at the Riverside, as United lurched around and all colour drained from them, this did not feel like a defeat at all; it felt like a distress signal.

United's overall performance produced question marks about every player bar Wayne Rooney and the second-half substitute Cristiano Ronaldo. Four minutes into injury-time Ronaldo rose to head in United's 1,000th Premiership goal, so it was a landmark occasion. Whether it comes to be reviewed as a landmark defeat will be revealed as the contours of the season fan out. But it had a definitive feel on Saturday.

Even if the distress signal is answered, people will look back on this result as a milestone. In the bigger picture of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure - Sunday marks his 19th anniversary at the club with a visit from Chelsea - the Glazer takeover and supporter disenchantment, this was a boat-rocker of a display. It has happened before, of course: United lost by the same score to City in March last year and beat Tottenham 3-0 in their next game.

But, as Ferguson surveys almost two decades in Manchester this week, he will recall that his appointment was prompted by United losing 4-1 at Southampton in November 1986. The board members moved on Ron Atkinson that night and Ferguson appeared 48 hours later. Nothing imminent will happen to Ferguson but mentally this might stimulate the decision-makers at Old Trafford to reflect on the future. As Ferguson acknowledged on Saturday: "Today is another page in the history of Manchester United."

Typically he was already turning to the next. "We'll get a response, that's without question. That's what we've always been good at. And that's my job." The chance to prove it comes quickly: United play Lille in the Stade de France on Wednesday.

"Middlesbrough have cuffed us 4-1," Ferguson said, "and I think that result today only encourages our French opponents. So we have to do something on Wednesday, we have to be positive and make sure we don't make mistakes like we did defensively. If we do, we'll be out."

The scenario in Group D is not quite that dramatic, though Sunday's arrival of Chelsea could be. A home defeat would leave United 16 points adrift of the champions; Jose Mourinho may remind the world that Chelsea finished 18 points ahead of United last season.

"On today's form I don't think we could beat anyone," Ferguson said on Saturday. He was right. United's passing was sloppy and their movement static. Most worrying of all for United followers still taking "Glazer Go Home" banners on their travels, there was a lack of aggression and, dare one say it, personality.

The latter is one characteristic Ferguson has always demanded from his players. Anonymity offends him. He will be deeply concerned by Paul Scholes's opaque form and Rio Ferdinand's tranquillised effort, and there must be a larger anxiety over such a group failure.

That returns the focus to the debate about team shape and in that regard McClaren said something revealing about his formation: "Hopefully we've caught on a system tonight." How Ferguson and his assistant Carlos Queiroz wish they could stumble on something so effective.

Boro's previous home game was a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth in which Middlesbrough played with one up front. The home game before that had been a 2-0 defeat by Sunderland after which McClaren was booed by his own fans.

So Saturday was a moment for the Boro manager. When Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu were lost to injury, he plumped for 3-5-2. The three emasculated Ruud van Nistelrooy, the five, powered by Gaizka Mendieta, overwhelmed United's four, and the two, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Yakubu Aiyegbeni, tormented Ferdinand and Mikaël Silvestre.

After two minutes Edwin van der Sar failed to catch Mendieta's long-range shot, an awful error. Ten minutes later the excellent Chris Riggott made a game-altering challenge on Rooney in the Boro area.

Mendieta surged again and a long pass had Hasselbaink and Ferdinand locked in a chase. Hasselbaink got the touch that mattered, Ferdinand was beaten and so too was Van der Sar. Boro would have taken 2-0 at half-time but Stuart Parnaby burst into the United box and was pulled foolishly by Kieron Richardson. Yakubu stroked in the penalty.

Four years ago United were 3-0 down at the interval at White Hart Lane and won 5-3 but there was never the suggestion of such a comeback here. In the 78th minute Yakubu lured Ferdinand into a tackle, whipped the ball past him and then teed up Mendieta for his second and Middlesbrough's fourth. Manchester United's distress was complete. That 1,000th goal was no consolation, none whatsoever.